ENOLA, Pa. — April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) – a time to raise public awareness about sexual violence and to educate communities and individuals on how to prevent sexual violence. Sexual violence affects people of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds. One in five women and one in 71 men will beraped at some point in their lives (Black et al., 2011), according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Child sexual abuse also happens at an alarming rate. One in six boys and one in four girls will experience a sexual assault before the age of 18 (Dube et al., 2005).

The 2013 SAAM campaign focuses on healthy sexuality and its connection to child sexual abuse prevention. This April, join the conversation. Start talking about healthy childhood development to prevent child sexual abuse. The campaign connects adults with tools and information on healthy childhood sexual development. By learning about the characteristics of healthy sexuality, adults can better identify risks, support healthy boundaries and challenge negative messages. These tools support parents, community members and organizations as they work to prevent child sexual abuse. In addition to the monthlong campaign, the SAAM “Day of Action” on Tuesday, April 2, will highlight nationally coordinated events to raise public awareness about sexual violence and will provide specific ways for people to get involved in its prevention.

Awareness events and activities, coordinated throughout April, present an opportunity to highlight regional and local newsmakers involved with SAAM. Visit www.nsvrc.org/calendar to find local and national SAAM events. Campaign materials are available at www.nsvrc.org/saam. For materials in Spanish, visit www.nsvrc.org/es/saam. For more information, contact 877-739-3895 or email resources@nsvrc.org.

Founded by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape in 2000, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) develops and disseminates resources regarding all aspects of sexual violence prevention and intervention.

This site is supported by Grant/ Cooperative Agreement No. 1UF2CE002359-02 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.